Set It Right
by Wings-of-Icarus
Summary: Several decades after his confrontation with Truth, Ed once again finds the responsibility of setting the world on the right track resting on his shoulders. But this time, he's in an unfamiliar world- and it's not like he was alone last time. What to do?


"What? Where… am I? Why am I alive?"

Disoriented, Edward sat up in what seemed to be a forest, surrounded by greenery and accompanied by the scent of beasts. It reminded him greatly of the forest he and Alphonse were one tossed into, courtesy of their lovely teacher, Izumi Curtis, and he involuntarily let out a shudder.

_You are within the Forbidden Forest, Edward Elric._

A voice echoed through the trees. Edward whirled around, trying to locate the source, but ultimately failed.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" he demanded, alert and ready to attack.

_Calm yourself. I am not here to harm you. I am one of the Guardian Spirits of the World Beyond the Gate, and I am without form._

"What do you mean, from "beyond the gate"? Guardian spirit? What are you talking about? What happened to truth? And answer my first question! Why am I alive? I should be dead. I remember dying!" Edward shouts.

_I am one of the spirits who guides those who enter the Great Circle, or the cycle of life. I am much like the human notions of a "grim reaper", I suppose._

"That's still only one question you've answered. And why should I trust you, anyway?"

_Well, if you'd allow me to continue…_

The voice was a little irritated, and the blond man conceded the point, and waved for the voice to continue.

_Souls who enter the cycle of reincarnation or are in waiting to do so lie beyond the gate. Spirits like me, under orders of Truth help to organize these souls. You, on the other hand… you are a special case._

"What's that supposed to mean?" The golden eyes narrow in impatience. "I'm still waiting for an explanation here."

_I'm getting to that. _

"JUST GET TO THE POINT ALREADY!" Ed burst out, his patience (grown considerably over time, but apparently not enough) finally running out.

_Fine, fine. So it's like this. When you sacrificed the Gate, Edward, you WON. You won against Truth, and became God of yourself, out from under His jurisdiction. You lived how you wanted, died when you had nothing more to live for. Things happened for you at the most perfect of times, and just the way you wanted. You didn't have an untimely end, like you had predicted you would, and instead stayed with Winry well into old age and were at her side when she died. Just as you wanted._

"Well, yeah. Of course I'd want that. What does that have to do with anything?"

_That's what it is to be God of yourself. Your soul is unchanging. Even if you were reborn, you would remember everything of your previous life or lives even without a body. Your body reformed of its own will, or rather, yours, and you will never truly age past 20 years old or the "coming of age", thus the reason for such a young looking body. When your soul wanted to walk this Earth again, you came here. "I want to live again," you said, and so Truth could do nothing.  
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"Where exactly is "here", anyway? You said it was the forbidden forest, or something, but I have no fucking clue where that is."

Ignoring the interruption, the voice went on.

_Not that he would, anyway. Because between the years from when you died to when you were reborn, Truth became very bored. He had wanted to find someone else like you, to play this cruel game with. He had to find someone else, because he very well couldn't bring you back to life, could he? After all, you rule yourself. But as the rules state, he sent me to explain this all to you, the land, the time, a bit of history, things like that. You are now several decades past your death day, in a land now known as England._

A pause. Edward glances around, wondering if the "spirit" went somewhere, or if it had finished its explanation. But after a moment, it began again albeit hesitantly.

_The Alchemists were long gone; no human had the power or the will to harness His power... And human greed overrode sacrifice, too many tried to find a way without a price, and eventually the powerful Alchemie of old faded to nothing. Although that wasn't entirely bad. Without True Alchemie, no homunculi would ever be able to return to existence. And since homunculi were soulless and out of his power like you, as well as unnatural beings with no true place in existence, Truth left the True Alchemie lost and untouched after its decline. But without Alchemists, there would be no place for him to deal in the workings of humanity._

As its (his? her?) words sank in, Edward's eyes widened.

"Wait, you mean… Everyone I've known is dead? And alchemy itself is dead?"__

_They've been long dead, Edward, like you. And they are at peace, I assure you. Now, where was I? …Right. So he created Mages. Those were the first of the Magick line. He told them the price, of course. "When you die, your soul will become eternally mine, never to enter the Great Circle and pass on through the Gate. That is the price for this power. Equivalent exchange, if you will." And of course, they agreed, not knowing what that truly meant. Mages, or Wizards today are very much unaware of the price they pay for their Magick. They believe they are born with the ability, and while it is passed through the blood, it is not always true. The souls that Truth decides to send back into the cycle for his amusement have the power as well. And all Mages pay the highest price out of all of us for their power, the most beautiful, priceless and wonderful piece of a human being- their souls- and after death, these beings lose their free will and become Truth's playthings._

"So they can't enter the life cycle unless Truth lets them?"__

_Precisely. But as with Alchemie, there are always those who try to cheat, always those who try to enter into God's domain. For your people, it was the homunculi and the attempts at human transmutation. And in this time, a man previously named Tom Riddle Jr. and now referred to as Voldemort split his soul into fragments to avoid death. My theory is that you sensed this somehow and awoke, trying to stop the same atrocities that occurred with the homunculi._

"So it's become my job to set the world in balance again?"

_Yes, it seems to be so._

Well, shit.


End file.
